Interviews

Today we’re continuing on the topic of networking…last time, we talked about how to say hello...now, we’re going to talk about what to say AFTER you say hello. Like always, there is a right way and a wrong way to start off a conversation…the wrong way is to launch into a sales pitch about yourself without taking a breath…the other wrong way is to say, “Hi I’m George, are you guys hiring? Do you know anyone who is hiring? Okthanksbye”…you guys think I’m kidding - but I’ve actually overheard that last one.

Interviewing is often thought to be an interaction between candidate and potential employer where the employer is in control asking many questions to assess the candidate for their needs. 4However, it is important that the candidate do as much interviewing of the employer as well. Here are a few things to consider when you are interviewing a potential organization.

A job interview is a person-to-person communication, and some people are difficult, so you will likely encounter a difficult job interviewer at some point. The difficult job interviewer pushes back on what you say, picks apart your claims, focuses on your weaknesses and mistakes, or tries to get you to talk trash about your past bosses and companies. The difficult job interviewer frames questions negatively and wants you to get negative as well. Don’t fall for these traps! Here are three approaches to diffuse the difficult job interviewer:

This is my first blog for Biocareers.com in over a year, and it is good to be back. I wanted to cover the topic of interview preparedness today. In March I am conducting a webinar on how to interview well, and I will expand on what I write here, but I wanted this to serve as an introduction to the topic. Interviewing is one of those things that we typically don't practice, so we don't get a lot of experience doing it. The default behavior of job seekers is to “wing it”, which is actually doing more damage to your prospects in landing the position.

Hello everyone! Today I wanted to cover something that I have seen a lot of. Every week, I get maybe five resumes for a position I am trying to fill. Three people aren't even remotely qualified. One looks great on paper, but they never call me back after I respond, then there is THE ONE.

Hello everyone! Today I wanted to cover something that can kill your job search, and your new job, if you aren't careful. Let's say, you graduate with a degree in your chosen field from an institution of higher learning, but, for one reason or another, it takes months, or maybe a year or more, to get an interview with a company in your field.

Hello everyone! The internet is full of “never fail – guaranteed to work” tips and strategies designed to help you get that dream job. Goodness knows I share plenty of them with you here and in the webinars. Point is, in job search, these techniques are only part of the equation. In fact, I will go so far as to say they are the easy part. The hard part is coming up with the plan for when and where to deploy them, and developing the spirit and commitment to carry them out in real life situations.

Hello Everyone! This time, we're going to take a look at how to use that most basic of tools, the telephone. Seems like these days, we use them to send text messages, as calendars, as cameras, as music players, as social media portals, and seldom for talking to people, which was their intended use.

Once you decide that you are going to make a career transition, you are going to have to answer the question Why, “why make the transition?” And sometimes that will be worded as a skeptical “Why not stay?” Having an answer to this question matters because it helps others understand where you are coming from, and where you are going. And it’s also very easy to screw up. This is true for those who have decided to transition into government roles, or leave science altogether, or even just switch disciplines in their postdoc.